A federal appeals court has ordered an immigration board to consider whether some Guatemalans could qualify for asylum over fear of persecution for being rich. Ruling in a case of a couple whose asylum claim was denied, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said a judge should have considered testimony that they had been threatened with kidnapping and that police did not help them. Jose Godofredo Ucelo-Gomez, 37, and Ana Mariela Espana-Espinosa, 29, say they are not affluent by U.S. standards - he has been a restaurant worker in the United States and she a child care worker - but they say they would be targets in Guatemala. When they applied for asylum, Espana-Espinosa noted that in 1996 her sister was kidnapped for ransom by an organized political gang, shot in the leg and released the following month without a ransom payment. ... http://www.guardian.co.uk

The Marines of Kilo company are under attack yet again. They're on the roof of the government center, and the enemy has just opened up. Small arms fire came in first. The Marines have returned fire with everything they've got. From their posts on top of the building, they defend the government center, now the symbol of U.S. efforts to stabilize the most violent region in Iraq. Three of their positions are taking fire simultaneously. That's something 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Jefferson Ortiz says the Marines quickly get used to. "Every Saturday ... Saturday at the government center right here," he says. "This is our weekend right here. No spring break for us. Just shooting." The deathly whine of incoming rounds is overwhelmed by the thunder of the Marines' guns. Their commander says there must be no doubt they mean business. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/11/eveningnews/main1612946.shtml?source=RSS&attr=World_1612946

An 18-year-old Portland man with autism, whose recruitment renewed questions about Army practices, was released Tuesday from his enlistment contract. Jared Guinther signed up for one of the Army's most dangerous jobs, cavalry scout, after being heavily recruited. He passed medical and other examinations. He was scheduled to leave for basic training in August. The Army announced Tuesday that it decided he didn't meet enrollment criteria, two days after The Oregonian newspaper reported his parents' objections. Gaylan Johnson, spokesman for the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, said Guinther's disability was not disclosed in the medical exam and information regarding his condition was not available to the command until after the enrollment process was complete. The command oversees medical exams for the Army. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/12/national/main1613987.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1613987

Zimbabwe's inflation rate has surged past the 1,000% mark signalling that the African country is struggling to keep its economy functioning normally. The annual rate of price growth was 1,042.9% in April, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said, having risen 129 percentage points from March. It means average goods are about 11 times as expensive in April 2006 as they were 12 months earlier. Zimbabwe is suffering from shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency. President Robert Mugabe blames domestic and foreign enemies for the problems. According to the International Monetary Fund, Zimbabwe suffers the highest rate of inflation in the world. Many analysts put the responsibility firmly at the ruling party's door, claiming the government made the situation worse when it seized control of land owned by white farmers, which triggered a sharp drop in production and exports of agricultural goods....http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4765187.stm

Only one juror prevented Zacarias Moussaoui from being sentenced to death for his role in the 9/11 attacks, the Washington Post has reported. The paper says it was contacted by the jury forewoman from the trial, after which Moussaoui was given life in jail. She said that in secret votes on three terrorism charges, the jury repeatedly voted 11-1, 10-2 and 10-2. A unanimous vote on any of the charges would have condemned Moussaoui to a lethal injection. The forewoman complained that the dissenter who kept holding out on the first charge never identified him or herself, and never put forward their arguments for discussion, the paper says....http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4765041.stm

European leaders have expressed concern at the mixed signals coming from Latin America, as tensions over energy overshadow a summit in Austria. Bolivia's nationalisation of its gas sector and a planned new Venezuelan tax on oil firms have dominated the agenda. But with some Latin American and Caribbean nations keen to expand trade, the European Commission president urged the nations to present a common vision. Growing differences between them may prevent a trade deal, analysts say. Some American countries, like Chile and Colombia, favour free market economics and are keen to attract investment from Europe, says the BBC's Latin American correspondent Steve Kingstone. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4763999.stm